Be the Puck

The SCSU Hockey Spring League is almost done for the year.  It is such a fun time.  The teams only have games (no practice) and they get to play on the SCSU main rink.  It is pretty exciting for the kids to get to skate the same ice that the Huskies do.  It really great to see their skills improve so much and in such a short amount of time.  They play full ice and there are only 7(?) players on Blake's team as opposed to 35 during the regular season so they get a lot of meaningful ice time.  It is a lot more fun for me to watch the Spring League games too.  They actually turn the heat on in the arena (hear that River Lakes?).  And other than the jersey, they can wear whatever they want for their uniform.  Henry bought Blake a pair of red socks so he is easier to spot.  Now I can actually watch him instead of spending half of the time just trying to find him.  

Blake has had some pretty impressive games the last couple weeks. Grandma and Grandpa Blattner came to watch on Monday so Blake had some incentive to play extra hard.  He scored 5 goals and was pretty pumped.  Henry said he had a great attitude during the entire game which is what makes us, me and Henry, happy...well, seeing him score some goals is nice too.  Keep up the good work Blake!  What an awesome kid.  I wish I could skate half as well as he can.  Maybe next winter he can give me some pointers!

Face-off

Blake with the puck.

Blake (on the ice) as he scored a goal.

Hey, there is that cute coach again!

Life in the 'hood

There are many impromptu gatherings that happen in our neighborhood once the weather warms up. The kids tend to go through phases as to which house they prefer to hang out at. Yesterday, we were the lucky winners. There were 9 kids here playing outside on the trampoline, on the swing set, and in the sand box. Later, they moved the action indoors with some shinny hockey for the boys and playing house for the girls. I love these days. There was no crying, no fighting, and other than a couple jackets left outside, nothing that wasn't put back in it's place when they were done. The crowd dispersed family by family as supper time arrived. 

Boys Turn to Jump

Girls Turn to Jump

Running out of Milestones

We have been trying to get rid of the training wheels since last summer, but Paige was not having it. We tried bribery. We tried threats (mostly empty). We bought her a new pink bike to replace Blake's hand-me-down bike. She wore a helmet and gloves and tennis shoes and knee pads. I got a sore back from holding on to her as she went back and forth in the cul-de-sac. We "threw away" (empty threats, remember) the training wheels. She still didn't care. Did I mention the new bike has a basket AND the dangly pom-pom things on the handle bars. Paige was steadfast in her beliefs, who needs to bike when you can walk or rollerblade! It was so incredibly frustrating because we could tell that she COULD do it, but she just WOULDN'T do it. As soon as Henry or I would let go of the bike she would immediately fall over...and get hurt...and cry. We had all but given up.

The day Paige learned how to ride her bike.

Then came Saturday. It was a beautiful day so we decided to go for a family bike ride. Too bad for Paige, right? We told her she had one chance to try to ride her bike by herself or she wouldn't get to go on the family bike rides with us. (Side note: we make a LOT of bike trips to Dairy Queen in the summer so missing out on the bike rides is a pretty big thing.) She agreed to try. Paige sat on the bike and I gave her a good push. Guess what, that was it! Not only could she ride by herself, but she could stop by herself (without wiping out) and she could get going all by herself. In true to our family fashion, we took it to the next level. After she demonstrated her abilities for a total of about 3 minutes, we went on a 2 mile bike ride. No problems. The next day Henry took the kids on a 3 mile ride. All good. The following day, I had the kids bike along with me on my run. I haven't checked the mileage on it, but we are thinking it was around 3.5 miles. Paige and I did the same route again today. I think that is about her max distance since it just takes too much pedal power to get those little wheels to go long distances. And that is fine because I am a slow runner so it is just a nice casual bike ride for her and an easy short run for me. I love having another activity that we can do together. Paige is so stinkin' hilarious and this provides plenty of conversation time for the two of us without the distractions. My kids never cease to amaze me with their abilities, their drive, and their personalities. They are so fantastic (except for when they aren't so fantastic but fortunately that isn't very often) and they are growing up so fast.

Mr. Cool

Ms. Cool

It is definitely bittersweet. Learning to ride a bike is one of the big milestones. The sad part is that I am reminded that there aren't many "kid" milestones left. To top it off, in true break Mommy's heart fashion, Paige tied her own shoes today before our bike ride. Oh man. I may have to ban her from chewing gum for a few years so I can at least hold on to the 'learning how to blow bubbles' milestone. And, don't even get me started on kindergarten next year...I think I am going to go cry now...

Hoppy Easter!

It's all about Worm!

I loved the custom cake.

A little Background: My nickname is Worm. Sorry, no wild and crazy story from my youth behind it. My name is Angelena, everyone calls me Angel which is often misspelled as Angle, Mary Smith used to call me Angle Worm which Roberta shortened to Worm. I think Henry and Roberta are the only two people that call me Worm and it always makes me smile!

My 30th birthday turned out to be fantastic (and was not at all traumatizing)! It was my first ever surprise party (I threw Henry a surprise party for his 30th so I think he felt a little pressure to do something special for mine). The kids were let in on it since neither of them has ever given up a secret they were told to keep. However, for some reason, Paige just couldn't help herself this time. She would start telling me things but then would realize she shouldn't. She would cover her mouth, "Oh, I've said too much!". It was cute to see her struggle with wanting to tell but knowing that she shouldn't. Blake, on the other hand, didn't give anything away. Paige must have had some of the details boggled in her mind so the "clues" she was letting slip actually just confused me. When they yelled "Surprise" at my birthday party, I was completely surprised.

There was a great showing considering it was a Wednesday night. Around 30 people came to celebrate. Some of us may have celebrated a bit too much as the next day was not without some pain and discomfort. It turns out that there was very little photographic evidence of the event, and that may be a good thing. I want to thank my Party Planners Roberta, Sara, and Henry as well as all of the people that were able to attend. It really meant a lot to me. Thanks, Thanks, Thanks.

Me and Roberta

I love Big Buck Hunter.

Of course, this is the only picture of me and Henry...nice!

A few of the party-goers.

You know what they say about payback. That's right Mother Nature, you better watch your back!

Frosty says, "April Fools!"

Today is the day that my friends and family have been teasing me about for months. It is my big 3-0. That's right, I'm an April Fool's baby. However, I feel it is safe to say that the joke is, in fact, on ALL of us. Yes, Mother Nature pulled a fast one on us Minnesotans. Again. Correct me if I am wrong, but I do believe this has been one of the longest, coldest, and snowiest winters ever. The snow started in November and is still going strong in April. We had weeks of waaaay below zero air temperatures. There were wind chills so insanely cold that schools were closed - multiple days. So, while it was fun to have a traditional, good old-fashioned, Minnesota winter like the ones from my childhood, I must say enough is enough. I am officially putting my foot down.

Then again, maybe the joke is just on me. See, my life has always been devoid of April Fool's jokes. I guess people, rightly so, didn't think it was appropriate to play pranks on someone on their birthday. Maybe I had this coming?

It really is humorous because it may or may not be common knowledge that snow removal causes me rage. It is a feeling I can't really describe aside from the boiling blood in my veins, the snot dripping from my nose, my hair frozen from sweat, and the utterances of profanity that I try to keep quiet enough for the neighbors not to hear. But today was different. It is my birthday and I was determined to find the humor in this. I did what I have avoided doing this entire winter, I operated the snowblower. Yes, I operated the snowblower for about 10 minutes - until I broke it. In fact, I broke it in such a way, that I was unsure how to even turn it off. The ignition switch was gone. Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find the missing parts this spring when the snow melts - HA, HA, HA. This is perfect time to say how much I love our neighborhood. Our neighbor came right over to help (after he was done laughing I'm sure). Our cul-de-sac rules. No offense to any other cul-de-sac residents out there, but ours is pretty darn great.

Freed of my snow removal duties, I had some time to play in the snow with Paige. I must say, we (I) made a fantastic snowman. I guess this spring snowstorm isn't the worst thing in the world.